This invention relates to an edge guard of the type applied to the trailing edges of automobile doors.
The advantages of door edge guards are recognized by the automobile industry. Edge guards provide functional, decorative and protective aspects when applied to the trailing edges of automobile doors or the edges of other swinging closures.
The original equipment automobile industry has never approved of strictly plastic edge guards but rather has insisted upon metal edge guards because of their superior characteristics. In order however to provide certain styling features, it has been deemed desirable to provide other than a metallic appearance to the exposed exterior of an installed door edge guard.
Many of applicant's inventions, as evidenced by the following patents, relate to insulated door edge guards: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,259,812, 4,338,148, 4,379,376, 4,316,348, 4,365,450, 4,379,377, 4,334,700, 4,377,056, 4,387,125.
Applicant also has pending applications directed to the same general subject.
One procedure for making an insulated door edge guard comprises laminating a sheet of plastic to a sheet of metal, then slitting the laminated sheets into desired widths and roll-forming the strips into desired U-shaped cross section. One part of the procedure involves the formation of beads on the ends of the legs. In an insulated metal edge guard where the exterior of the edge guard is covered by insulation, the inward turning of the beads will result in insulation being disposed between the metal of the edge guard and the door edge at the points of force application when the edge guard is mounted on the door.
The usage of self-retaining edge guards is deemed desirable but depending upon painting procedures which are used on automobiles the insulated metal edge guards may not exhibit the expected self-retention characteristics on a door edge.
The present invention relates to an edge guard which provides a solution to the inability of an edge guard to exhibit the expected self-retention characteristics on particular types of painted surfaces. The invention arises through the judicious selection of material for the metal edge guard so that a desired retention characteristic is obtained for different types of paint procedures on door edges.
By way of example reference is made to a water based paint procedure and a solvent based paint procedure. For a given door, the differences in these two procedures may result in a situation where an edge guard is self-retaining on one type of painted surface but exhibits less than expected self-retention characteristics on the other type of painted surface.
The invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the ensuing description, and the appended claims. The disclosure is of a preferred embodiment according to the best mode contemplated at the present time in carrying out the invention.